Subject: food and longevity

From: [email-masked] (Paul J. Gans)
Date: 13 Jul 1994 18:27:34 GMT

This morning's New York Times has an interesting article by
Marian Burros, their food correspondent (and possibly editor).
It's in her "Eating Well" column.  I quote from selected portions:

"Twenty years ago, nutritionists routinely predicted dire consequences
for people who did not eat meat.  Today it's difficult to find a
nutritionist who will not, at least grudgingly, admit that a 
vegetarian diet, especially a lacto-ovo one, which includes milk
and eggs, can be perfectly adequate for proper growth..."

"But even the most enthusiastic advocates of vegetarianism acknowledge
that someone following such a diet has to know a lot more about
nutrition than the ordinary omnivore.  And especially when it comes
to the eating habits of children."

"Althought nutritionists say that children on vegetarian diets
generally need not worry about getting enough protein, there are
two nutrients, iron and zinc, that are essential to normal growth
and that are more difficult to obtain without meat.  Dried beans
and peas, eggs and fortified breakfast cereals... contain iron,
while eggs, milk, and whole grains contain zinc -- but none of 
these foods contain the levels of iron and zinc found in red
meat.  In addition most nutritionists recommend a multivitamine-
mineral supplement."

"Even getting sufficient fat can be a problem.... 'When the fat content
is below 20 percent, even for children older than 2, there can be
stunted growth,' said Dr. Ken Resnicow, the director of child
health research at the American Health Foundation in New York.  But
he added that the typical vegetarian diet contains plenty of fat."

[A large section about having children on a vegetarian diet checked
for anemia is omitted.]

"The vegan diet, without eggs or milk products, is another matter.
Most middle-of-the-road health professionals believe it is much more
difficult to get a balanced diet from it.  'Several studies show
problems with vitamin D, vitamin B12, as well as zinc and iron, 
among those children,' said Johanna Dwyer, the director of the Frances
Stern Nutrition Center at New England Medical Center in Boston and
a professor of medicine at Tufts University Medical School."

It's me (PJG) again.  Note that I have omitted large portions --
this was just to get the flavor.

I think that most of us have agreed that historically (that's
what this group is about, after all) it would have been very hard
for people to survive on a purely vegan diet.  And there is no
doubt that most all peoples historically ate meat as available.

    ---- Paul J. Gans    [[email-masked]]